In Rockville, Maryland, a 19-year-old will spend at least a year in jail following a conviction for threatening mass violence. This decision comes after a troubling written account about a character planning a school shooting was discovered. On Wednesday, the court sentenced the young defendant to a decade behind bars, but with nine of those years suspended. Upon release, the teenager will also be placed on five years of supervised probation, requiring bi-weekly court appearances, mental health treatment, and adherence to specific restrictions, including staying away from two school campuses and avoiding the use of the chatting application, Discord.
The teenager, who was still attending high school when arrested last year, caught the attention of law enforcement due to suspicious writings and digital activities. The inquiry began when someone in the Baltimore area, who reportedly met the teen at a psychiatric facility, alerted authorities about the content. These writings, initially presented by the teen as fiction, led investigators to believe they were rooted in reality, reflecting the author’s own experiences rather than pure imagination.
Spanning 129 pages, the document, labeled as a memoir, portrayed a character plotting a school shooting. In the narrative, this character is ultimately apprehended by law enforcement and receives psychiatric care. Despite an introductory note labeling it as fictional, law enforcement took the potential threat seriously.
Authorities obtained a warrant, discovering disturbing online searches, drawings, and documents related to potential mass violence acts. Among the searches were inquiries into gun ranges, details about prison sentences, and research on past school shootings. Additionally, messages and social media posts by the teen suggested aspirations for infamy through committing a school shooting.
According to a statement from Montgomery County Public Schools, the student has not physically attended school since the fall of 2022, opting instead for online education. Court documents indicated that the teen was hospitalized in December of the same year after threatening a school attack, and in January, further concerns arose when clinicians reported the teen spoke of “suicide by cop.”
In January, after a two-day bench trial, the court found the teenager guilty of making threats to commit mass violence, highlighting a serious concern for community safety and the well-being of those involved.